Raymond William Butt (25 June 1935 – 12 July 2013) was a British

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

and director. He worked on several

sitcoms A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home ...

for

BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

and became best known for ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

''.

Early life

Butt grew up in London as an only child with his mother and father. He left school at 16 and served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

for his national service.

Career

He produced ''Only Fools and Horses'' until Series 5, directing most episodes himself, when he moved onto new projects. He also worked on ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...

'' and ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by David Croft (TV producer), David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Croft also served as executive producer and television directo ...

''. Butt directed the 1976 two-part episode from ''Last of the Summer Wine's'' third series consisting of the episodes, "The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper" and "Cheering up Gordon." Butt would also serve as primary producer for ''Are You Being Served?'' between 1975 and 1977. He frequently collaborated with writer John Sullivan, directing for four different series written by Sullivan. Butt retired in 1989. He received two

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

s, one for ''

'' and one for '' Just Good Friends''.

Death

Butt died on 12 July 2013 and was survived by his partner, Jo Blyth, and a daughter from an earlier marriage.

Filmography

*'' The Liver Birds'' (1969–1979) *''

'' (1975–1977) *''

'' (1976) *''

Citizen Smith ''Citizen Smith'' is a British television sitcom written by John Sullivan, first broadcast from 1977 to 1980. It starred Robert Lindsay as Walter Henry "Wolfie" Smith, a young Marxist "urban guerrilla" in Tooting, south London, who is attempti ...

'' (1977–1979) *''

'' (1981–1987) *'' Just Good Friends'' (1983–1984) *'' Dear John'' (1986-1987) *'' Young, Gifted and Broke'' (1989) * '' Sob Sisters'' (1989)

References

External links

* 1935 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel BAFTA winners (people) BBC television producers British television directors {{UK-tv-bio-stub